Chris Lane's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks

North Carolina native Chris Lane has become one of the most-played newer artists on country radio with a style that is firmly entrenched in the sounds of contemporary-minded artists such as Sam Hunt or Florida Georgia Line. And, who can argue with the undeniable success that either of those artists have had? With a sound that blends country, R&B, and pop, those artists have been among the biggest in the format over the past few years. But Lane is very much his own artist.

In listening to his debut album Girl Problems, we analyzed the disc thoroughly, and came up with these ten Chris Lane song moments in his young career where the singer has definitely singled him out as an artist to keep an eye glued to in the future!

It’s definitely got a contemporary vibe, but the chorus from this track from Girl Problems also has a little bit of a 90s pop feel that sounds like it could have been home in the Backstreet/ *NSYNC wheelhouse. The energetic track about a man demanding that his lover make a decision between himself and another suitor was written by the all-star writing team of James "J-Hart" Abrahart, Nick Bailey, Kevin Fisher, and Ryan Ogren.

Vocally, Lane hits all the right notes on this mid-tempo performance about a man who wonders had he stood his ground just a little, if the relationship might still be in play. It’s a performance of which some consideration should be given concerning possibly be a radio single.

Lane teams up with Canadian singer MacKenzie Porter on a song that brings out the both in both singers' vocal talents and personalities. If you have heard the recent acoustic mix of the album, you have an even deeper understanding of the musical magic that these two can make together!

A frisky tribute to the woman who has undoubtedly cured a man’s relationship ills with her love and affection. The only thing is with romantic harmony, that tends to open up a new set of “issues” , though nothing that Lane is seriously lamenting too much!

Lane’s musical stylings are very much in the contemporary sector, but the banjo of Ilya Toshinsky can be prominently heard in the chorus of this bouncy Chris Lane song performance that has a little bit of Bee Gees-type flair to it.

The opening guitar riffs on this performance allow Lane to set a romantic and sensual mood with a lyric about a man wanting to get to know the object of his affections in both an emotional and physical manner. Lane penned this winning number with the assistance of Andy Albert and Jordan Schmidt.

What’s in a song, you ask? Well, for this Chris Lane song, a lot! The song that launched his career in the fall of 2015 captivated listeners from the first play with an ebullient performance that made him many fans along the country music landscape. Of course, having three great tunesmiths--Sarah Buxton, Jesse Frasure, and Abe Stoklasa-- involved in the crafting of the song sure didn’t hurt this song’s chances of topping the country airplay chart, which it did in August of 2016.

One of the best Chris Lane song performances is this emotionally-laden track about a man making the difficult decision to set his significant other free, but still expressing the hope that she will see that the grass isn’t as greener on the other side, and she’ll return to his waiting arms.

So far, the best song that has not been released as a single from Girl Problems is this emotionally stout number about a man who is watching from the sidelines as the woman of his dreams continues to emotionally wither away in an unfulfilling relationship, or at least that’s what the singer is hoping that she’s in. Lane’s vocals are dead on, and the production, from Joey Moi of FGL fame, is musically adventurous as well. Should his team go with this as a release at some point, they could very well have a major cross-over hit on their hands!

Lane and Moi flexed their creative muscle on this emotionally creative performance, which became his second straight top ten hit. The verses and the chorus of this soaring number managed to give the listener a unique listening experience, as the shift changes definitely changed the emotional dynamic. Lane’s performance of this song was one of the highlights of the 2017 Carolina Country Music Fest in Myrtle Beach this past June, complete with a crowd of 35,000 singing the sentimental lyrics back to him in unison.